I’ve got to admit that Hi Five’s menu made me do a double take.
I thought I’d seen it all, after living in Northern California for many years, arguably the creative food capital of America. I’ve traveled the world, and eaten my share of questionable delicacies like escamole (ant larvae), chiquilines (fried grasshopper), sea slug, chicken sashimi and brain haggis.
But Hi Five has just opened in Guerneville, as a Korean/American diner that will take over dinner service for Pat’s on Main Street. And here’s what they’re serving:
- Crispy Dinosaur kale and flying lotus root chips sprinkled in Pop Rocks candy
- KFC (“Korean Fried Crack”) chicken with cubed pickled daikon, sweet potato salad and melting Sambuca marshmallows
- Smoked pork belly bao buns with green onions and root beer Jello
- Beef short rib kalbi barbecue with mac ‘n’ cojito cheese over buttered Wonder Bread
- Tempeh bibimbap with fiddlehead fern, shiso leaf, vegetables, Bantam egg, Korean chile sauce and seaweed soup
There’s much more, too, for a menu that is broken down into five categories with five items in each, and priced as Hi Five X 1 = $5, Hi Five X 2 = $10, and so on, up to Hi Five x 5 = $25, for the Hi Five Surprise weekly special.
Owner David Blomster promises exciting flavors in the unexpected recipes. He also owns a small art gallery in town, called Studio Blomster, and isn’t afraid of expression.
“The menu items are deceptively sophisticated and yet thoroughly accessible,” he said. “I wanted to create cuisine with an emphasis on playful and eclectic combinations, sometimes bordering on silly.”
So why not try seasonal spring rolls with cashew gravy, or a Hebrew national hot dog topped in bulgogi, pickled daikon, carrot, cilantro, mint aioli and rooster sauce? I’m looking forward to stopping in soon, and will share a full review on Inside Sonoma.
Pat’s isn’t leaving, by the way. The traditional American eatery has been family owned and operated since 1945, and will continue serving breakfast and lunch of classics like eggs Benedict and BLTs. The adjacent bar is staying put, too.
Not all the Hi Five dishes are head-spinners, either. Blomster’s business partner and Hi Five chef Eugene Birdsall previously worked at boon eat + drink across the street, where Blomster had been the manager for the past 3-1/2 years.
He’s dotted the menu with some more familiar choices like fried rice cake with mint and Korean chili sauce; nori wrapped grilled tofu with brown butter sautéed seasonal kimchi and sushi rice; tofu pho; and salmon chops with red bean mochi, edamame puree, micro greens, lemon and shoyu.
Details: Hi Five, 16236 Main St., Guerneville, 707-869-9904. Open 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.